Polo Players' Edition is the official publication of the U.S. Polo Association. Dedicated to the sport of polo, it features player profiles, game strategy, horse care, playing tips, polo club news and tournament results.
Issue link: https://polo.epubxp.com/i/31965
Juan Ignacio, the day’s outstanding player, scored the winning goal for Chapa Uno. The first day, also in Group A, saw the defending champion, Ellerstina, debut, though it initially crashed against the enthusiasm of its opponents that included the two youngest Pieres (the team’s cousin Paul, and Facundo and Gonzalo’s brother Nicolás). Still, the teams managed to maintain parity to close the third chukker at 5-5. Then La Zeta put in action their best horses, outscoring Sao Jose Audi 11-2 in the next 21 minutes. The trend continued until the end of the game when La Zeta took the match 21-13. Group B action started the next day. Alegría came out full speed and game with the brightness of Aguerre against his former colleagues on La Dolfina. After seven minutes of action Alegría was ahead, 3-0. Then Adolfito woke up to tie the match in the next period. But his opponents did not give up and returned to dominate the score. Closing the fourth chukker Alegría was in command 8-6. Cambiaso, with nine goals in the afternoon, picked up his team and turned the score 9-8 in his favor in the fifth chukker. He extended that advantage to the 17-12 final score. Then, La Aguada BMW was a real machine against an always difficult team as Indios Chapaleufú II Cardón. In a very disjointed match with 41 fouls, Javier Novillo Astrada guided the team of brothers to victory with seven goals. The win was justified in a remarkable second half as La Aguada out-powered Chapa I 10- 1 on the way to an 18-8 finish. More qualifying matches in Group A were played the following Saturday. García del Río again showed his strength as a back and allowed Pilará to put up a respectable fight against Ellerstina regardless of the seven-goal difference in handicap. So the fight continued until the seventh chukka when the score was 12-10 for La Zeta. The perhaps overconfident Pieres brothers needed that slap to improve their routine and eventually got a 8-1 run in the next 10 minutes to take a deserved but bulky 18-13 victory. For its part, Chapa Uno continued its winning streak after dispatching Sao José in a clear 18-11 win. In the first seven minutes of action Bauti Heguy and his pals took a 5-0 lead, which they maintained for the rest of the match. Only 24 hours later, the second day of Group B games were played. La Aguada returned to work harmoniously with Javier Novillo Astrada bringing home 10 goals and brother Ignacio working hard at both Adolfo Cambiaso was unable to score even one goal in the Hurlingham final, something that hasn’t happened for years. defense and attack. The team overcame Alegría 19-14 in a game where Canadian Frederick Mannix shined in a losing effort. Next, La Dolfina again showed both sides against Indios Chapaleufú II, who presented the novelty of South African Ignatius Du Plessis replacing Eduardo Heguy who was sidelined with pneumonia. Improvisation worked well for Chapa 2 and it managed to close the first chukker up 5-1. Cambiaso woke up and led the comeback. Cambiaso’s team from Cañuelas was ahead 10-8 in the fifth chukker and maintained control of the match to the 15-14 final. However, there were a few worrisome issues for La Dolfina: the imbalance in its performances and the two yellow cards Lucas Monteverde received in the fourth period, putting him out a game and nearly causing the team to lose its group definition to La Aguada. The following weekend decided the One of Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra’s four 10-goalers, Pablo Mac Donough, carries the ball in the final of the Hurlingham Open against La Dolfina. Ellerstina won the match 19-13. 42 POLO PLAYERS EDITION finalists. Saturday opened with Pilará’s first win of the season edging Sao José 15-13, with 10 goals from Agustín Merlos. The results of the next match would decide Group A. In a fast-paced match, Chapa Uno accepted Ellerstina’s challenge and closed the half down by only two goals, 12-10. From there, the red Chapa Uno team missed seven penalties in four chukkers, an advantage impossible to recover from against La Zeta, which maintained its good performance and got to the final after winning 20-16. Facundo Pieres contributed POLOLINE SERGIO LLAMERA
